


The strong one

by ErrolsFeather



Category: How I Met Your Mother
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28580436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErrolsFeather/pseuds/ErrolsFeather
Summary: Set between the the end of episode 6x13 Bad news and 6x14 last words.Lily is reflecting over being there for Marshall during his father's passing. This is how she helped him through it.One shot.
Relationships: Lily Aldrin/Marshall Eriksen
Kudos: 3





	The strong one

**_The strong one._ **

Lily Aldrin knew that she would never forget the day she had to tell her husband his father died. Not even years after when he slowly started to heal. She had cried all the way in the cab on the way to the bar, dreading to let the fatal words slip from her lips. Yet, she knew she had no other choice and it was better it came from her than anyone else. Or so she had figured.

She hated how he had fell apart in her arms, and more than anything else that day, that she was so much shorter than him. For once even a few inches would help so she could hold him properly. She knew he didn’t care, and in most cases she didn’t either. But as she stood there outside the bar, her arms wrapped around him tightly, his head on top of hers, as he cried, she wished that.

That she could be the one to hold and shelter him for once, and she did so to the best of her abilities, always had, always would. No words were spoken then, as she held him, that cold winter evening. There was nothing to say, no words she could ever utter would offer any sort of comfort or bring Marvin Eriksen back to life. Life didn’t work that way.

No words would ever make up for her husband losing the most influential man in his life. The one that taught him to be the way he was, his hero and his best friend. The two had always had a close connection, one that she at times was envious of. Mostly because her bad memories of her own dad. Marvin was everything her own father was not. She knew no one could ever take his place.

Slowly she got him inside and to bed, holding him close until sleep took over his broken heart. Then she got up then to call the woman she never seemed to get along with, Marshall’s mother. She noted down what she needed regarding the funeral and promised they would both be there to help the very next morning, that was not up for debate. She hung up and made the necessary arrangements regarding a plane before walking back down to the bar to tell the rest. She knew they would still be there, wondering where Marshall was, why they didn’t come back inside. Or maybe they didn’t, maybe they assumed they were having sex, due to Marshall’s good news.

Ted was the first that spotted her, he clearly saw the grim look on her tear rimmed face as he asked, “What is wrong, where is Marshall?”

“I…need to get back up to him as I don’t want him to be alone right now. His father passed and we are flying out one the earliest flight tomorrow. He will need you even if he would admitsay it,” she said. Her voice steady, she would not fall apart just then.

She needed to keep calm, steady, do what was needed.

Their jaws dropped and Robin was the first to speak, “Of course Lily, anything you both needs.”

The boys nodded in agreement and Barney asked for their flight info, he would fix tickets for the three of them to be on the same fight if possible, if not they would arrive the morning of the funeral three days later. Knowing Barny she knew he would get tickets to that flight, though, and a hotel or something nearby, to be at the ready if they should bee needed.

After exchanging a few words, she thanked them and went back upstairs, readying some food, knowing they both needed to eat something. Her mind elsewhere as she turned on the auto pilot, wondering how he, how they would get through this. Her tears fell then down into the stew she was making and she felt his arms around her waist. Wrapped up in her own thoughts she hadn’t heard him come into the kitchen.

“You are always so good to me, Lilypad,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. His voice hoarse and worn. From crying and sleeping for a bit over an hour.

“I love you, Marshmallow,” she whispered, back, pressing a kiss against his arm.

And although he could not feel it, it still made a smile appear on his lips. She always made him feel just a little bit better, even if she couldn’t always find the words to ease his pain, her actions did. He knew that for the small time he had been sleeping she would have taken care of most else, and that she would pack what they needed for Minnesota while after they had eaten. He knew she told their friends by now, as he couldn’t bear to himself. He felt lucky then, as so many times before, that she was his wife. Because he knew that without her, he would not have managed to get through this so easily. How he felt right now and how he knew he would feel for the days to come, for the time to come.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked her husband as she turned the stove off and remove the pot.

“Not right now, maybe later,” he said honestly.

She nodded, knowing that would be his answer, but she still wanted to make the offer just in case. She put the pot on the table and they ate in silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable though as they cast loving glances against each other and he did eat two portions and cleaned his plate away before going back to bed. She sighed as she cleared away the rest, putting what little that was left of the stew in a Tupperware box so he could have on the plane the next morning. She knew that he preferred her cooking, even not always perfect, over plane food any day. She even made sure to make a couple of pancakes for the ride, before cleaning up the kitchen.

Then she went to pack their things, everything they might need for four, five days just to be sure. A little more for him if he wanted or needed to stay behind. When she was done, she felt exhausted and so she got ready for bed as well, on the way there she sank down on the couch and cried. For the injustice in the world, that Marshall’s dad was taken from him and his family, and for wishing for a short second it was her own dad instead. She cried because she felt helpless then and for being tired, so very tired. As her tears dried up she went into the bedroom, finding him peaceful and asleep and she cast a loving glance towards him. Her Marshmallow the love of her life.

As she crawled into bed that night after setting the alarm so they would not oversleep for the plane, she held him close and she felt how he snuggled closer to her. He always did if she was the last to sleep.

“I got you Marshmallow, I will always have you,” she whispered, pressing a kiss against him, then falling asleep. She was glad this day was over, and although the next might not be better, at least this one was over and she could sleep for now. To gain some rest so she could be there for him in the morning.

* * *

Lily’s fingers stroked over a picture of Marshall’s dad in the house many years later, when their son Marvin came running inside. He called out for her and she called back. She smiled as she saw him come into view, a big grin on his face, backpack over his shoulder. He was just home from school; he was in the third grade now and he was getting taller by each year.

For a short second she saw something that resembled his late grandfather in his eyes. Old Marvin would have loved their children she knew. It was a shame he never got to see them and they him. They told their children stories of him, though, keeping his memory alive.

“I got picked for the basketball team,” he declared proudly. There had been tryouts that day for the boys on his step.

“You did, oh sweetheart that is wonderful! Your dad will be so proud!” she exclaimed knowing her would.

“I can’t wait to tell him over dinner!” young Marvin said, before running upstairs to his room. Most likely to start on his homework. She smiled after him as she looked at the picture of the older Marvin once more, she knew they were doing alright now. Still, she sometimes missed the older Eriksen that had been at times too invasive. Shaking it off she went to start on dinner, waiting for her husband to come home to her.

Much like she did whenever he was away.

He had been later that year when his father died, but he had come home for Valentine’s day after and then they had talked. About his father, their present and their future. It had been a long night, but it had ended up with them making love, one of her fondest memories. She sighed as she put potatoes in a pot, hearing their children argue upstairs. It was time for a new ruling by justice Aldrin. It would have to wait for a couple of seconds though, she would daydream a couple of minutes longer. His words from that Valentine’s came back to her once more, “I love you, Lily Aldrin, I always have and I always will. You made this easier on me, even if I didn’t realize it and for that I shall forever be grateful. I don’t know if I will ever manage to return the favor, but I hope I one day will. Because I want to always be the man for you, like you are the woman for me. I want to be there for you when you need it, always, and I promise I will do my best to be.”

And he had she knew and he always would. Because that was how they worked, not always perfectly, but always together. Together they could always handle everything for good and bad. Because their love was stronger than all that other shit and it always would be.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this story, feedback is always most welcome :o)


End file.
